Dr. Jonathan Sayre Allen – Trombonist and Teacher

It was the first week of the fall semester.
I took the Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Quad City Symphony auditions.
And I had a first-time-for-me allergic reaction that caused about 50% of my body to swell up and get all itchy.

Triple check all paperwork is signed. There is a good chance that signing the same paperwork twice will not be enough for some reason.

I never subscribed to the “stay up until midnight to register for classes”. I should have. Most semesters I have had a hard time getting my first choice in classes. This is completely my fault that I never learned from my mistakes.

Your schedule will likely change about a dozen times in the first two weeks of school, so be flexible.

Holidays, fall breaks, and spring breaks are meant to be breaks. Get papers and other work done before the break so that you can enjoy it. Telling yourself, “I will write that paper over spring break” is just a lie!

Play the game. If I have learned one thing in my nine years of school, it’s that it is a very well choreographed dance. If you play by the rules, you can get through smoothly and without too much hassle.

These aren’t exactly “gems”, but just a couple of things that are on my mind as we enter the school year beginning tomorrow.